This application for patent relates generally to the field of storage systems, and more particularly to accessing data stored within a storage system.
A magnetic tape cartridge library, sometimes called a tape silo, a tape robot, a tape library, and a tape jukebox, is a storage device that contains: (i) one or more magnetic tape drives; (ii) a number of slots to hold magnetic tape cartridges; (iii) a barcode reader to identify each of the cartridges; and (iv) a mechanism for automatically loading a cartridge into an available drive, such as a robot arm.
It is known to provide a tape library connected to one or more host computers via a network where a magnetic drive, operating as a control access device, contains a cartridge inventory. Tape libraries commonly have the capability of optically scanning barcode labels attached to each tape cartridge, allowing the library to automatically maintain an inventory data for which cartridge is loaded where within the library. The barcode label is often part of information recorded at the beginning of the tape medium to uniquely identify the cartridge, known as the tape label. It should be noted that there are two kinds of tape labels. The first kind is a label applied to the exterior of tape cartridge or the reel. The second kind of tape label is data recorded on the tape itself. Host computers query the tape library via the recorded cartridge inventory according to barcode identification of the individual tape cartridges. When a cartridge is selected, it is loaded by the automated means into an available magnetic tape drive.
A LAN-free backup is a backup of server data to a shared, central storage device without sending the data over the local area network (LAN). It is usually achieved by using a storage area network (SAN), which is a network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. A process that performs backup to a dedicated, unshared storage device, such as local magnetic tape drive, does not meet the industry definition of a LAN-free backup. SANs are primarily used to enhance storage devices, such as disk arrays, magnetic tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes. The storage devices of a SAN are accessible to servers in such a way that the storage devices appear to an operating system as locally attached storage devices. A SAN typically has its own network of storage devices that are generally not accessible through the LAN by other devices.